Sunday, February 25, 2024

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 918th Edition


Welcome to the 918th edition of my series.  Unfortunately my Super Bowl wish of the 49ers winning did not come true but there is next year.  I would also like to announce that my show THE INVISIBLE MAN:  A LIVE RADIO PLAY starts on Friday at the Pulse Opera House in Warren, Indiana.  The dates for the show are March 1-3 and 8-10 with Fridays being at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm, and Sundays at 4 pm so make a date and come see us pay homage to some old time radio.



The Dropout (2022):  This is part three of my five-part Amanda Seyfried series which is a mini-series but as I always say, it's my blog so I make the rules.  Elizabeth Meriwether created this mini-series which is based on a true-crime podcast of the same name.  Seyfried stars as Elizabeth Holmes who was a medical student in Stanford and decided to drop out of college with the inspiration of people like Steve Jobs.  She would start a company called Theranos which was supposed to revolutionize the world of blood testing and make it much easier.  When dropping out of college to start the company, reality would hit and she was in way over her head but did whatever it took to make the company successful.  Naveen Andrews, Michael Gill, William H. Macy, Elizabeth Marvel, Sam Waterston, Anne Archer, Kate Burton, Stephen Fry, Bill Irwin, Laurie Metcalf, Dylan Minnette, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, LisaGay Hamilton, Camryn Mi-Young Kim, Bashir Salahuddin, Kurtwood Smith, Kevin Sussman, Alan Ruck, Michael Ironside, and many others co-star in this mini-series.  This mini-series consists of eight episodes that are less than an hour long.  I admit, I had never heard of Elizabeth Holmes going into this series so I wanted to keep it vague and feel the less you know can be a good way of going into it.  Much of the events happened around when this came out so I would suggest when getting finished to look into Holmes as to where she is now.  This is available to watch on Hulu.


The Full Monty (1997):  This is part three of my Tom Wilkinson trilogy that came about when he recently left this world.  Long before there was MAGIC MIKE, we had these mostly out of shape and unemployed steelworkers who come together to perform a striptease in their local town.  Peter Cattaneo directed this British comedy that takes a look at a serious situation of the job force.  Robert Carlyle stars as Gaz who is unemployed and trying to get the money together for the sake of his son.  After catching a striptease act of men in his local bar, he feels that he can do it too and talks a group of people into it that includes Wilkinson, Mark Addy, Steve Huison, Paul Parber, and Hugo Spear.  Leslie Sharpe, Emily Woof, Paul Butterworth, Dave Hill, Bruce Jones, and many others co-star in this comedy.  This was a lot of fun where we get to laugh a lot but also get exposed to a few serious subjects in the process.  


Much Ado About Nothing (1993):  This is part three of my possible five-part Denzel Washington series where he co-stars as Don Pedro.  Kenneth Branagh stars in this Shakespeare comedy where he also stars as Benedick.  Robert Sean Leonard and Kate Beckinsale star as young lovers Claudio and Hero who are set to marry but also want to get Benedick and Beatrice, played by Emma Thompson, together as well with the help of Don Pedro.  Don Pedro's villainous brother Don John, played by Keanu Reeves, has his own scheme to make Hero look like she is guilty of infidelity.  Richard Briers, Imelda Staunton, Jimmy Yuill, Brian Blessed, Phyllida Law, Richard Clifford, Gerard Horan, Patrick Doyle, Michael Keaton, and many others co-star in this Shakespeare comedy.  Keaton was the best part of this film in my opinion as Dogberry.  Branagh as always paid respect to Shakespeare and delivers some good laughs in this comedy of love and in the end, just what the title says.  This is available to watch on MGM+ and Tubi.  


For Scent-imental Reasons (1949):  This is my animated short this week from the world of Looney Tunes which features the controversial skunk Pepe Le Pew, voiced by Mel Blanc.  Pepe goes to a perfume store to sample the scents and takes a liking to a female cat that he chases until the cat manages to turn the tables on him.  Pepe became controversial during the "#metoo" movement and became a mostly cancelled character with his aggressive behavior that has sparked a lot of debate.  I checked it out on DVD from my library to see this one.  


The Invisible Man (1933):  I am currently in a radio play version of this classic, I decided to revisit this classic horror film.  James Whale directed this adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic novel.  Claude Rains stars as scientist Dr. Jack Griffin who has managed to make himself invisible through his experimentation.  He manages to talk the proprietors of a pub to making their room an inn and wants to be left alone.  In becoming invisible, he also becomes murderous and the town has a difficult time in stopping a man they cannot see.  Gloria Stuart of TITANIC fame co-stars as Flora who is Griffin's love interest and holds out hope he can still be saved.  William Harrigan, Henry Travers, Una O'Connor, Forrester Harvey, Holmes Herbert, E.E. Clive, Dudley Digges, Harry Stubbs, Donald Stuart, Merle Tottenham, Dwight Frye, and many others co-star in this horror film.  This has some very good special effects that still look pretty good even today.  Rains does a great job in his invisible performance and is rather underrated in the world of Universal horror from this era.  


The Passenger (1975):  Michelangelo Antonioni directed and co-wrote this thriller.  Jack Nicholson stars as frustrated war correspondent David Locke who decides to take the identity of an acquaintance he finds dead in their hotel room in hopes of finding more action.  Locke does this not knowing that this person is an arms dealer.  Maria Schneider co-stars as an unnamed girl that helps Locke along the way.  Jenny Runacre, Ian Hendry, Stephen Berkoff, and many others co-star in this film.  This is really more of a Neo-Noir than anything.  Nicholson has named this movie as one of his own favorite movies.  This one is rather difficult to really understand but is a very intriguing film that deserves a watch.


Harlem Nights (1989):  I suppose this is my Black History Month selection for the week.  Eddie Murphy wrote and directed this gangster comedy from the Prohibition Era.  Murphy also stars as Quick who has been raised by illegal casino owner Sugar Ray, played by Richard Pryor.  Sugar Ray contends with the pressures of rival gangsters and corrupt policemen to stay afloat.  Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello, Michael Lerner, Della Reese, Berlinda Tolbert, Stan Shaw, Jasmine Guy, Vic Polizos, Lela Rochon, David Marciano, Thomas Mikal Ford, Arsenio Hall, Uncle Ray Murphy, and many others co-star in this comedy.  Reese is very amusing in this film and very far from her TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL character.  This also has three generations of stand up comedians in Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, and Eddie Murphy.  Lots of '80s fun with quite the all-star cast.  This is available to watch on Paramount Plus and Pluto TV.  


My Name is Julia Ross (1945):  Joseph H. Lewis directed this B list Film Noir which is based on the book THE WOMAN IN RED by Anthony Gilbert.  Nina Foch stars as Julia Ross who goes through an employment agency and lands a job with a wealthy widow named Mrs. Hughes, played by May Whitty.  When getting there, she wakes up in a different place is is being told she is the daughter in law of Mrs. Hughes and is mostly a prisoner in a remote home.  George Macready, Roland Varno, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Doris Lloyd, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty compelling film with lots of suspense.  Foch is great as the title character who is doing what she can to free herself and prove she is not part of the family.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.


Alfie (1966):  Lewis Gilbert directed this film which is based on the play by Bill Naughton who also wrote the screenplay.  Michael Caine stars as Alfie who has lived his life as quite the ladies' man while avoiding commitment.  He finally starts to see the consequences of his lifestyle and to rethink it.  Shelley Winters, Millicent Martin, Julia Foster, Jane Asher, Shirley Anne Field, Vivien Merchant, Eleanor Bron, Denholm Elliott, Murray Melvin, and many others co-star in this film.  Caine is perfectly cast in the title role and was a breakthrough role for him.  There are comedic moments but is just as much of a drama in my opinion.  This shows what the sad reality can be of a person like Alfie.  This is available to watch on Paramount Plus and Pluto TV.


Seems Like Old Times (1980):  Jay Sandrich directed this comedy which was written by Neil Simon.  Chevy Chase stars as writer Nick Gardenia who is kidnapped and forced to rob a bank.  He turns to his ex-wife Glenda who is a public defender and whose husband Ira, played by Charles Grodin, is a district attorney.  Glenda tries to help her ex-husband while hiding him from her current husband.  Robert Guillaume, Harold Gould, George Grizzard, Yvonne Wilder, T.K. Carter, Judd Omen, and many other co-star in this comedy.  This is a pretty fun '80s comedy with Chase and Hawn being a good comedy duo.  Much of the hilarity comes from the dogs staying in the house and the attempts to hide Nick.

Well, that is it for this week but continue on for my "Tube Time" segment.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple weeks.


TUBE TIME

My first two selections from my post I made that got my "sensitive content warning" so I decided to put them on here.



Ringer (2011-2012):  This is another show I started in October during the Madness when learning that BUFFY alum Sarah Michelle Gellar, who I heavily lobbied for, became a wild card.  Eric C. Charmelo and Nicole Snyder created this mystery series that was on the CW network.  Gellar stars as Bridget Kelly who witnesses a murder and when it was time to testify she flees fearing for her life.  She turns to her estranged twin sister Siohban Martin, also played by Gellar, for help.  As they try to reconnect, Siobhan disappears when they are on a boat trip appearing to have committed suicide.  When this happens, Bridget takes Siobhan's identity in hopes of staying safer and gains a wealthy husband in Andrew, played by Ioan Gruffudd, as well as a stepdaughter in Juliet, played by Zoey Deutch.  Bridget soon learns that Siobhan's life is just as messed up and her life is still in danger.  Nestor Carbonell, Kristoffer Polaha, Mike Colter, Justin Breuning, Jason Dohring, Jaime Murray, Andrea Roth, Zahn McClarnon, Tara Summers, Billy Miller, Gage Golightly, Chris Elwood, Sean Patrick Thomas, Darren Pettie, Jordan Marder, Madchen Amick, Jonathan Banks, Misha Collins, Drew Powell, Amber Benson, Alanna Ubach, and many others co-star or guest star in this series.  This is a very suspenseful series full of twists and turns just about everywhere.  Just about every character in the series has an issue of some sort. Gellar is great in her duel role as twin sisters.  This show went on for one season with 22 episodes.  They thought they were getting a season two but unfortunately the show got axed due to low ratings so we never got the next season.  Unfortunately the show has a season ending rather than a series ending and I apologize to those involved that I did not watch it when it came out.  It was still worth seeing and I would just recommend a good binge of the show.  This was on the CW app when I first started watching it but it is not on there any longer.  This can be seen on Youtube though so go see the show everyone missed out on.


Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1991):  I decided to revisit my childhood a bit.  I started this back in October for the Madness which named Paul Reubens as a wild card which meant that I could use anything with Reubens for our Halloween movie and tv watching contest.  Reubens stars as his most iconic character in adult-child Pee-Wee Herman and in his playhouse which lived his object friends like Chairry, Globey, Conky as well as puppets like Randy and dinosaurs like Pterry.  He also had a lot of human friends visit like Miss Yvonne, played by Lynne Marie Stewart, King of Cartoons, played by Gilbert Lewis and later William Marshall, Cowboy Curtis, played by a young Laurence Fishburne, Reba, played by S. Epatha Merkerson, and many others.  George McGrath, Alison Mork, Paul Reubens, Wayne White, John Paragon, Kevin Carlson, Suzanne Kent, Johann Carlo, Shirley Stoler, Phil Hartman, Natasha Lyonne, Bernard Fox, Jimmy Smits, Leslie Jordan, Steve James, Sandra Bernhard, and many others provided their voice, co-starred or made a guest appearance.  A young Rob Zombie was a production assistant on this show which I assume was before he became Rob Zombie.  The theme song on the show was sung by someone credited as Ellen Shaw but was really Cyndi Lauper.  Each show we had a secret word that when it was said, everyone was to scream.  There were a lot of cartoon segments and Pee-Wee would always show how to make some snack.  All kinds of lessons done in a fun way and sometimes entertainment where we didn't really have to learn anything.  I just wish they had given Dog Chair more attention and I was hoping that as I wrote this Jambi the genie would say "Wish?  Did somebody say wish?" but he did not appear to me.


Lilyhammer (2012-2014):  Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjornstad created this series about a mobster living in Norway.  Fresh off the success of THE SOPRANOS as Silvio Dante, E-Street band member Steven Van Zandt stars as mobster Frank Tagliano who decides to testify against a mob boss that he does not like and enter the witness protection program.  Frank decides that he will not be safe in the United States so chooses Lillehammer, Norway on account of what he saw in the Winter Olympics.  When there, he finds that it is a whole new world and resorts to his mobster ways to cut through the bureaucratic red tape.  Trond Fausa, Tommy Karlsen, Fridtjov Saheim, Nils Jorgen Kaalstad, Valentina Alexeeva, Finn Schau, Kamal Mustaffai, Tim Ahern, Michael Badalucco, Tony Sirico, Maureen Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen, and many others co-star or guest star on this tv series.  Yes, singer Bruce Springsteen makes a guest appearance in the last episode.  Fellow SOPRANOS alum Sirico plays Frank's brother.  This is the first original series for Netflix.  I recall seeing the first season and really liking it but never got around to watching it after that.  I finally decided to revisit the series and watch the entire thing.  This is a three season series with eight episodes in each season.  It has a great blend of comedy and drama and really leans toward the comedy side a lot seeing a mobster trying to fit into a different world.  This is available to watch on Netflix and deserves a watch.

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Shaun Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations- 917th Edition


Welcome to the 917th edition of my series and I'm on time this time.  I do have a few things to talk about so go on if you don't want to hear it.  First of all, today is the Super Bowl where my own team the San Francisco 49ers get to play so I will be cheering them on and if they lose to the Chiefs I won't blame Taylor Swift.  The next thing is that in the first couple weekends in March I am in THE INVISIBLE MAN:  A LIVE RADIO play at the Pulse Opera House in Warren, Indiana.  Tickets for the show are $15 and $5 for children 12 and under so visit https://reservetickets.pulseoperahouse.org/ to reserve your tickets.  The last thing I want to discuss before getting to my selections for the week is the my previous edition which was the 915th and 916th combined into one due to me forgetting to release the 915th edition on the scheduled date.  I ended up getting a "sensitive content warning" right here on Blogspot as Mick Foley might say.  This appears to be due to me featuring a biopic of someone from the film industry for adults so hopefully just saying this will not provoke another warning so I'm just leaving out names for now.  I also mentioned the name of the movie for adults the said person is known for and I believe that was what happened there.  When I was promoting this on Twitter, X for those who are offended by the T word, after "careful review", they decided to ban me from posting and make my account permanently in read-only mode.  I am trying to appeal this, I'm not getting my hopes too high but I do hope someone working there will have the consideration to look at the blog itself to see there is no offensive language or imagery in it and reinstate my account.  It's not the end of the world if it is not reinstated but I did like using X-Twitter to promote my stuff so Elon, if you are reading this, please consider giving me my account back.  If others could share this link on their social media platforms, I would be very appreciative.  I am also open to advise on sharing this on other Social media platforms besides Facebook.  I have an Instagram but I don't really see any way of promoting on there since they use images but open to advise.  This is probably my longest opening paragraph so I will shut up and get to my selections for the week.



Pan (2015):  This is part two of my possible five-part Amanda Seyfried series where she plays the role of Mary in more of a cameo appearance.  Joe Wright directed this prequel to the characters written by J.M. Barrie.  Levi Miller stars as Peter who is right now just a 12 year old orphan during WWII and ends up in the world of Neverland.  When there, he is told of his destiny but has a hard time believing it.  He must face off against the ruthless Blackbeard, played by Hugh Jackman, and gets help from Tiger Lily, played by Rooney Mara, and a young James Hook, played by Garrett Hedlund.  Adeel Akhtar, Nonzo Anozie, Kathy Burke, Lewis MacDougall, Cara Delevingne, Tae-Joo Na, Jack Charles, Bronson Webb, and many others co-star in this fantasy adventure.  This kind of reminded me of SMALLVILLE in some ways in terms of the destined enemies starting out as friends.  I thought this was a pretty fun adventure that can be enjoyed by the family.  However, I did desire a better ending to the prequel.  


Chinese Puzzle (2013):  Cedric Klapisich wrote and directed this French film.  Romaine Duris stars as struggling writer Xavier Rousseau whose wife Wendy, played by Kelly Reilly, leaves him to be with a companion in New York and she takes the kids in the process.  Wanting to see his children, he moves to New York to be closer to him and struggles with immigration, among other things.  Audrey Tautou, Cecile de France, Sandrine Holt, Flore Bonaventura, Jochen Hagele, Benoit Jaquot, Jason Kravitz, and many others co-star in this film.  This is the third of a trilogy and this is the first I have seen.  I would like to look into the first two films of Xavier at different times in his life but this was still really good on its own.  This takes a look at an older man's coming of age.  A lot happens in his movie and has a lot of very complex characters.  This is available to watch on Tubi.


Mississippi Masala (1991):  This is part two of my possible five-part Denzel Washington series.  Mira Nair directed this film on an Indian family.  Sarita Choudhury, in her film debutk stars as Mina who as a child along with her parents were living in Africa only to be expelled due to their race.  They move to Mississippi and run a local motel.  Mina soon meets and falls in love with a local carpet cleaner in Demetrius, played by Washington, but must deal with race and prejudice on both sides.  Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore, Charles S. Dutton, Joe Seneca, Ranjit Chowdhry, Mohan Gokhale, and many others co-star in this film.  This gives a good look on how racism and prejudice exist on all sides.  This also has a really good script that the actors drive very well.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel.


Trolley Troubles (1927):  This is my classic animated short for the week which is from Disney.  This features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit who is the conductor of a runaway trolley.  While on that trolley, he runs into all kinds of problems along the way which include local bunnies playing on it he must chase off.  The big problem though is losing control of the car.  Oswald was a very early Disney character and possibly the first.  This character appears to be a prototype of what would become Disney's iconic Mickey Mouse.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus as well as a couple other works.  This is a very significant part of early animation.


The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967):  It is almost Valentine's Day so what better than this history film.  Roger Corman directed film which is based on the infamous title event that happened in 1929 Chicago.  Jason Robards stars as mobster Al Capone as he plans a move on his rival "Bugs" Moran, played by Ralph Meeker.  George Segal, Jean Hale, Clint Ritchie, Frank Silvera, Joseph Campanella, Richard Bakalyan, David Canary, Bruce Dern, Harold J. Stone, Kurt Krueger, Paul Richards, Joe Turkel, and many others co-star in this gangster movie.  Also, look for a young Jack Nicholson in a bit role.  This is shot like a documentary where it traces the events which lead to what they called St. Valentine's Day Massacre which was not an act out of love.  This was Corman's answer to the gangster film which I thought succeeded pretty well.  While Robards was good enough, I heard that Corman wanted Orson Welles as Capone which I believe would have been really good.  What could have been.


The Barefoot Contessa (1954):  Joseph Mankiewicz wrote and directed this film on the world of Hollywood.  Humphrey Bogart stars as struggling writer/director Harry Dawes who discovers nightclub dancer Maria Vargas, played by Ava Gardner, and convinces her to take a chance on acting.  This shows the ups and downs of Maria's life as told through mostly Harry.  Maria becomes a very successful actress but has a lot going on around her.  Edmond O'Brien, Marius Goring, Valentina Cortese, Rossano Brazzi, Elizabeth Sallars, Warren Stevens, and many others co-star in this film.  This is a pretty detailed look into someone's life.  It is also a compelling look into the world of film and Hollywood.  This is likely based on people in the world of Hollywood like the role of Maria said be based on Rita Hayworth.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel, Freevee, Pluto TV and the Roku Channel. 


Out of Darkness (2022):  I saw this as part of the AMC Scream Unseen series where they play a mystery horror film which was directed and co-written by Andrew Cumming.  This takes place in the Old Stone Age where a group of early humans band together in search of finding a new home.  They suspect they are being hunted by a mystical being and are forced to confront an unknown danger.  Chuku Modu, Kit Young, Safia Oakley-Green, Lola Evans, Luna Mwezi, and Arno Luning all co-star in this British horror film.  I was not aware of this movie theater event until I saw this one.  This is a really cool concept and was only $5 to see it.  It is hard to really explain this any further but it did keep my interest.  This is now available to watch in theaters and this seems to be a Monday event to see AMC Scream Unseen. 


The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975):  Gene Wilder directed and wrote this comedy where he also stars as Sigerson Holmes who is the younger brother of the famed Sherlock Holmes.  Sigerson has always lived in his brother's shadow and when Sherlock sends him a case, he tries to emulate his brother's deduction skills to varying success.  Sigerson teams with Scotland Yard detective Orville Sacker, played by Marty Feldman, and helps a nightclub singer, played by Madeline Kahn, who believes she is being blackmailed.  Dom Deluise, Leo McKern, Roy Kinnear, John Le Mesurier, Douglas Wilmer, Thorley Walters, and many others co-star in this comedy.  After working for Mel Brooks, Wilder decides to make his own directorial debut.  This is a pretty fun look into the Holmes franchise and a great trio in Wilder, Feldman, and Kahn.  


Lola Montes (1955):  Max Ophuls directed this historical film based on the novel by Jacques Laurent.  Martine Carol stars as Lola who reflects on her life a she is reduced to to a circus attraction having been a successful dancer and lead quite the life.  Peter Ustinov co-stars as the Circus Master that is thought to be exploiting Lola.  Anton Walbrook, Henri Guisol, Lise Delamare, Paulette Dubost, Oskar Werne, and many others co-star in this film.  This is another that is hard to explain and is based on a real person. The movie was very intriguing in so many ways from the performances to the cinematography.  This is the final film for the legendary Ophuls and was his only movie in color.  This is available to watch on the Criterion Channel and on Max.


The Last Kiss (2006):  This is part two of my Tom Wilkinson trilogy having recently left the world.  Tony Goldwyn directed this romantic comedy and drama.  Zach Braff stars as Michael who has everything one could want with a good job and a girlfriend of three years in Jenna, played by Jacinda Barrett, but becomes concerned about his life when learning Jenna is pregnant.  At a wedding for his friend, Michael meets the younger and free-spirited Kim, played by Rachel Bilson, who opens his eyes and must figure out what he wants in life.  Casey Affleck, Michael Weston, Eric Christian Olsen, Marley Shelton, Lauren Lee Smith, Harold Ramis, Blythe Danner, David Haydn-Jones, Cindy Simpson, and many others co-star in this film.  This takes a good look at flaws in relationships, beyond Michael and Jenna's relationship.  This could be a good date movie and one people can really learn from while enjoying it.

Well, that is it for this week, but I did bring on my "Holiday Corner" segment for the week.  Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for the next couple weeks which so far includes Amanda Seyfriend, Tom Wilkinson, Emma Thompson, Claude Rains, and many others.


HOLIDAY CORNER

I am using this segment for the Wednesday holidays of Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday which fall on the same day this year.  Ash Wednesday is where we celebrate those with the Ash variation in their name so please with your friends, family, and co-workers with the Ash variation in the name a Happy Ash Wednesday.  I had a couple more I wanted to do but I just did not quite have the time.  


Picture This! (2008):  This is celebrating the day of Ashley Tisdale for her day of Ash Wednesday.  Stephen Herek directed this teen romantic comedy.  Ashley stars as awkward high school student Mandy Gilbert who is invited to a party for the most popular high school student in Drew, played by Robbie Amell, who she really likes.  The problem is that she was grounded by her well-meaning but overprotective father Tom, played by Kevin Pollak.  She is determined to make this party and with the help of a couple of her friends, she manages to get out of the house and make her way to the party with much trouble along the way.  Lauren Collins, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Cindy Busby, Marie-Marguerite Sabongui, Angela Galuppo, Maxim Roy, and many others co-star in this romantic comedy.  This could also be celebrated for Valentine's Day.  This is more geared to the teen crowd and those who grew up on Ashley Tisdale.  This is available to watch on Prime and on the Roku Channel.





Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special (2017):  Scott Aukerman and Akiva Schaffer directed this comedy special.  Santa Claus, played by Jimmy Graham, needs Michael's help and knows Valentine's Day is the best time to ask.  The elves made way too many toys but don't have enough children so he needs Michael to put on a telethon in order to get more children conceived.  Sarah Shahi, Adam Scott, Matthew Kimbrough, Grey Griffin, Brooke Shields, Janeane Garofalo, Louie Anderson, Sinbad, Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman, Randall Park, Andy Samberg, Kenny G, Fred Armison, Colton Dunn, Jorma Taccone, Michael Sheen, Chris Parnell, Maya Rudolph, Will Forte, Eric Andre, and many others make appearances.  For years, I just hated Michael Bolton but since joining the Lonely Island I find myself quite the fan.  Bolton does a great job of parodying himself and sings much of his hit songs.  He also has a great rendition of the song JACK SPARROW.  There are some other comedic songs in this special.  I feel this is kind of like NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS where it can be watched and enjoyed in two holidays.  I intend to watch this again around Valentine's Day.  This is available to watch on Netflix.  


Iron Man 3 (2013):  In my long-term chronological binge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I found I got to this movie at the perfect time.  This features actor Ashley Hamilton who plays the role of Taggart in this superhero film so please wish him a Happy Ash Wednesday.  Shane Black directed this superhero sequel from the MCU.  Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark aka Iron Man.  Tony finds that his personal world has been destroyed by the terrorist known as the Mandarin.  With the help of Rhodey, reprised by Don Cheadle, Pepper, reprised by Gwyneth Paltrow, and a genius kid named Harley, played by Ty Simpkins, Tony goes on a quest to find those responsible and gain retribution.  Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale, Stephanie Szostak, Paul Bettany, William Sadler, Dale Dickey, Miguel Ferrer, and many others co-star in this MCU film.  This is also one to watch for Christmas as it takes place during the holidays.  This has some really good action where Tony is really fighting for redemption more than anything and is a pretty good part three of a trilogy.  When this is finished, I would also recommend the Marvel One-Hot's ALL HAIL THE KING.  This is the start of Phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  This is available to watch on Disney Plus and Starz.